Water Treatment and Removal of Heavy Metals in Groundwater using Integrated Membranes on Drinking Water Quality Indexes

การบำบัดน้ำและกำจัดโลหะหนักในน้ำบาดาลด้วยเมมเบรนรวมตามดัชนีวัดคุณภาพน้ำดื่ม

Abstract

         This study aimed to develop a water treatment system for the removal of heavy metals (iron and manganese) from groundwater using an integrated membrane system, ensuring compliance with groundwater quality standards for consumption. The integrated membrane was composed of a mesh layer with a pore size of 1 mm, a thin-film layer of 0.05 mm, another thin-film layer of 0.001 mm, and a filtration layer made from synthetic polyamide material with a pore size of 0.0001 mm. The objective was to improve the chemical and physical properties of groundwater in Phibun Mangsahan District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, to acceptable levels. Groundwater quality was analyzed before and after treatment based on quality indices. The results indicated that the integrated membrane developed in this research effectively removed heavy metals from groundwater, achieving water quality indices within acceptable standards, including pH (7.01–7.45), hardness (122–144 mg/L), total dissolved solids (21.27–29.32 mg/L), sulphate (11–18 mg/L), chloride (11.18 mg/L), nitrate (2–10 mg/L), iron (0.06–0.16 mg/L), and manganese (0.01–0.09 mg/L), in compliance with the World Health Organization's 1996 drinking water standards as per the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's regulations, with a usage capacity of 10,000 liters.